


What Christmas Is About

by oh_my_stars_and_sky



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, F/M, First Kiss, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4418012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_my_stars_and_sky/pseuds/oh_my_stars_and_sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Penelope and Reid both have to work overtime on Christmas Eve after a particularly long and harrowing case. But Reid doesn't seen to understand why Christmas is important, and in explaining it Penelope accidentally-on-purpose reveals something that will change everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Christmas Is About

It's Christmas Eve, and its late, and Garcia is tired, dammit. The case they had been yanked off holiday for had been long, and gory, and she honestly just wants to go to sleep. She's fairly certain everyone else has gone home, but she's not finished filing the information from the case into the hard drive of her computers, and given how freaking complicated it was, it'll take her at least another few hours of busy work, so, sighing, she gets up and makes her way to the kitchenette to make herself some coffee.

She catches a glimpse of her reflection in one of the many glass doors in the office.Her blonde hair is streaked in a Candy Cane fashion for the holiday and is in pigtails , falling just below her shoulders, with a large red bow on a head band playing centerpiece. She's wearing a black dress with a large, lime green belt in the middle of it and some knee high green boots to match. She smiles. With a job like this, it's important to enjoy the little things. 

As she opens the door to the kitchenette she realizes she's not the only one who's been suckered into doing overtime to get paper work done because leaning over the coffee machine is none other than Spencer Reid. He's in his usual attire, a blue button down with a tan sweater vest over it and tan slacks, as though with all his massive intellect he forgot it was Christmas freaking Eve. She clears her throat and he looks up, noticing her.  
"Oh. Um, hi, Garcia." He says. "Coffee?"

"God, yes please, boy wonder. I'm gonna be here for at least another two hours." She replied, crossing to sit down on the counter next to where he was puttering with the coffee maker.

"Well, in our line of occupation, overtime such as this is sort of implied." He says, sounding like a book, as usual, without looking up.

"Hon,I'm not sure if you've noticed, but it's Christmas eve. We should be out partying with our friends! Or at the very least drinking mulled wine at some relative's house. Not filing paperwork, all isolated." She's ranting a bit and she knows it but he's here, and better yet, he's such a good listener. 

"Christmas went from being a religious holiday, which irks me, to being an overly commercialized holiday, which irks me even more. It's just another day. It's not like it's special." Reid counters, still without looking up. 

"Of course it's special Reid! It's not about any of that birth of Christ stuff or buying presents or whatever, it's about" but she stops herself abruptly, because what she's going to say is being with the ones you love but Spencer Reid is in the room and Spencer Reid is a profiler and she knows if she says those words out loud in front of him he'll know something's and something is most certainly up but she can't quite admit The Thing even to herself, in her head, and she can't think of what she'd do if he figured it out.

.............................. 

She can remember the exact moment it started too, the first time she felt that odd warm sensation at the sound of his voice and thought What the serious hell is wrong with me?

It had been in the wake of a particularly serious case. It had been hard on everyone. She'd been sitting there, in her office, staring at a blank computer screen, trying not to think about how maybe if she'd typed a little faster lives would have been saved, not even bothering to brush an electric blue lock of hair out of her eyes when he'd walked in. Quietly, unassuming as he was, in his own odd way. 

"You know, you're. Um. You're pretty amazing. And you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault." He said, and in that moment the tears ceased to be welling in her eyes and instead blush was creeping up her cheeks and there was an odd sensation in her chest because he'd just called her amazing and part of her was so confused as to why she felt light all of a sudden when something clicked and she thought Oh god, I have a crush on Spen-- NO; no, don't say it, don't even think it, it won't ever work, so don't encourage it.

She'd swallowed hard and said over her shoulder, "thanks. You too. And I mean it, boy wonder. Don't go beating up on yourself." And they'd shared a smile that lasted a moment too long and then she'd watched him scurry out the door.

She'd run her fingers through her hair, streaked blue, and promised herself that by the time she dyed it again, she'd be over all this nonsense. 

That was April. It's December now, and she's dyed her hair seven times since, and she still can't say it out loud but she knows it's not going away.

..................... 

"It's about what?" He asked, finally looking up, his expression holding no scorn, just genuine curiosity, and god, that's what gets her, isn't it, he's seen so much and yet he's still so wide eyed and never dismissive and god, his hairs is a mess of curls right now and it's all she can do not to run her fingers through it. 

He steps away from the coffee machine so he's standing directly in front of her perch on the counter and he's standing close enough that she can feel his heat and it's just absolutely delicious and she was never much one for biology or neuroscience but she could swear his pupils were dilating and in that moment, she takes a calculated risk.

"...being with the ones you love. So I guess maybe this isn't such a bad Christmas" She says, and she knows by now her cheeks are colored primrose, and one would think it would take a lot to make Penelope Garcia blush but though she could dirty talk till her face turned blue she was never much good at romancing, always made her nervous, and she can tell by the look in his eyes the exact second he figures it out, and it takes him longer than she thought it would but she expects that's cause he's the type to think himself unlovable and that thought really just makes her want to hold him even more but most of her is still expecting him to recoil any moment now, but instead he says, nervously, with a slight hitch in his voice

" I have a. Um. A hypothesis. You need to tell me if it's wrong, okay? "

His eyes grasp hers with their gaze and they seem to be searching as she feels herself nod slightly, and then he's kissing her, and god. Oh god.

He tastes of coffee with too many sugars and he kisses cautiously but thoroughly, with a practiced ease she hadn't expected. She melts into the kiss, wrapping her arms lightly around his neck as his hands come to settle on her hips and his tounge swipes lightly at her bottom lip and she gladly bids him entrance, savoring the feeling. She nips at his bottom lip and sucks gently before leaning back slightly to lock eyes with him again, a shy smile playing her lips.

"So, was I right?" He asks, his voice now husky and low.

"Spot on, boy wonder." She answers readily, and he grins the biggest smile she's ever seen on his face before ducking in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so, so, so much for reading! 
> 
> Comments and kudos much appreciated. ♡
> 
> Mostly I just think Reid and Penelope would be adorable together. :)
> 
> Thanks again loves!


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